DANIELPALFREDSSON'S OTTAWA SENATORS GM LOG: NEW GM THREAD NEW PICTURE! SEASON 4 PLAYOFFS SUMMARY: CAN THE SENATORS REPEAT AS CUP CHAMPS OR IS DANIELPALFREDSSON AN AWFUL GM?
CHAPTERS
1-
Rules and Settings
2-
Roster Edits and Changes
3-
Season 1 Off Season and Preview
4-
Season 1 Trade Deadline and End Of Season Summary
5-
2015 NHL Entry Draft
6-
Season 2 Off Season and Preview
7-
Season 2 Trade Deadline Update
8-
2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1
9-
2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2
10-
2016 NHL Entry Draft+Off Season Part 1
11-
The Senators Make A Blockbuster Trade!
12-
Season 3 Preview
13-
Season 3 Update 1 (A Trade Is Made)
14-Blackhawks VS Senators Cup Final: Revenge Of The Zibanejad
16-
Season 4 Preview
17-
Season 4 Summary: Do the Senators make the playoffs? Of course they do? Right? Maybe....
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SENATORS PROJECTED PLAYOFF LINES
*Ryan out for the entirety of the playoffs.
*Methot out for N/A
Puempel SNP 85-Turris PLY 88-Stone PLY 86
Hoffman SNP 85-Konecny PLY 87-Hossa TWF 84
MacArthur TWF 85-Cizikas TWF 84-Ritchie PWF 83
Lindberg SNP 80-Pageau TWF 81-Lazar TWF 81
Gravel DFD 84-Karlsson OFD 92
Keith TWD 88-Ceci TWD 85
Englund DFD 79-Russel OFD 81 *LD
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Game 1 VS Toronto (51-25-6)
-Ottawa only manages three shots in the first period, but Keith still scores.
-Toronto evens it up in the 2nd, but Keith puts his second goal of the night past Reimer to take the lead. -Stone scores before the 2nd is over to put Ottawa up 3-1.
-Puempel adds a goal in the 3rd which despite being outshot 30-20 leads to a 4-1 lead for Ottawa.
-Ottawa leads the series 1-0.
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GAME 2
-The game remains shutout until half way into the second when Turris beats Reimier to give Ottawa the 1-0 lead.
-In a tense game, it remains 1-0 until the final minutes of the 3rd period when Curtis Lazar deflects a puck past Reimier to give Ottawa a 2-0 lead and the win.
-Shots are relatively even at 33-27 in favour of Toronto. Lehner gets the shutout.
-Ottawa leads the series 2-0.
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GAME 3
-Konecny fractured his jaw last game, and might be out the entire remainder of the series. The best the Senators could hope for would be a game 6 return if necessary. Cizikas to play on the 2nd line.
-Puempel scores early in the 1st to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead.
-Pageau adds a goal near the end of the first, but Toronto quickly comes back, Ottawa leads 2-1.
-Ottawa continues to get help from their fourth line, as Dzingel puts a goal past Reimer for the 3-1 lead.
-Kessel would score to put Toronto within 1, but it wouldn't be enough as Gravel and MacArthur would both score to give Ottawa a 5-2 win.
-Erik Karlsson earns the 1st star with a 4 point performance.
-For the first time of the series, Ottawa outshot Toronto 39-28.
-Despite missing Konecny, Ottawa wins to take a 3-0 series lead.
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GAME 4
-Kris Russel scores on Ottawa's 2nd shot of the game to give them a 1-0 lead that lasts until the 2nd period.
-It takes them 15 shots, but Toronto scores in the 2nd to tie the game.
-The tie lasts all the way until there is 4:20 left in the third period when Mr.Game Winning Goal himself Kyle Turris scores to put Ottawa up 2-1.
-The lead stands, and Ottawa sweeps their dreaded rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
-Ottawa wins the series 4-0.
-Lehner had an astounding .964 save percentage in four games.
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ROUND 2: Ottawa faces Tampa Bay (58-18-6)
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GAME 1
-Lehner VS Bishop! Konecny VS Barzal! Tampa passed on the #2 ranked Konecny to go off the board and take Barzal in the 2015 draft. This is Konecny's chance to prove them wrong!
-Tampa scores in the 1st, the game remains 1-0 until midway through the second when Cody Ceci scores to tie the game.
-With only 19 seconds left in the game, Garrison scores to put Tampa up 2-1 and win them the game.
-Shots were even at 28-28.
-Tampa leads the series 1-0.
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GAME 2
-Pageau scores 15 minutes into the 1st to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead.
-The game remains 1-0 going into the third.
-Lehner successfully holds off Tampa Bay and Methot puts the puck into an empty net to lead Ottawa to a 2-0 win.
-Series tied 1-1.
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GAME 3
-Karlsson is on fire with 8 assists in 6 games.
-Kucherov scores in the 1st to give Tampa the lead. Tampa is heavily outshooting Ottawa 15-5 going into the 2nd.
-Ottawa scores in the 2nd to tie the game going into the third.
-Barzal who was taken ahead of Konecny in the 2015 draft scores in the third to give Tampa a 3-1 lead.
-Stamkos adds another goal to ice the game 3-1 for Tampa. Shots remain relatively even at 28-31 in Ottawa's favour.
-Tampa leads the series 2-1.
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GAME 4
-Both Palat and Kucherov score in the 1st to give Tampa a 2 nothing lead.
-Hossa scores in the 2nd to get Ottawa back into the game.
-Stamkos puts one past Lehner to restore Tampa's two goal lead, but Ceci quickly responds scoring for Ottawa.
-Puempel scores a powerplay goal in the third to tie the game. Ottawa scores two more and ends up taking a 5-3 lead.
-In the most wild game of the series, Tampa scores another one to bring it to 5-4, Ottawa manages to get the insurance goal and win 6-4 to tie the series.
-Duncan Keith had a 4 point game.
-Series tied at 2.
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GAME 5
-Karlsson and Palat both score early.
-Stone scores before the end of the first to bring Ottawa ahead 2-1.
-Konency nets a goal late in the second to give Ottawa a two goal lead.
-Tampa rallies back in the third period by scoring three straight goals to take a 4-3 lead in the closing minutes of the game.
-With less than two minutes remaining, Turris scores a huge clutch goal to tie the game 4-4 and bring it to overtime.
-Mr.Game Winning Goal himself comes up huge. Two minutes into OT, Turris scores his second goal of the game to give Ottawa the win and the series lead.
-Ottawa leads the series 3-2.
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GAME 6
-The game remains tied going into the second period.
-The goalie battle continues with no goals scored going into the third. Ottawa is heavily out shot by Tampa as Lehner stands on his head.
-We go to overtime with a scoreless game until with their 27th shot of the game, Puempel scores to give Ottawa the win!
-With a 43 save shutout by Robin Lehner, Ottawa defeats the heavily favoured Tampa Bay Lightning and eliminates them in 6 games.
-For the second year in a row, the Senators will advance to the conference final!
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CONFERENCE FINAL VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS (51-30-11)
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GAME 1
-For the second year in a row, Ottawa will face the Capitals in the conference final. Ovechkin is looking to avenge last years loss to the Senators and advance to his first Cup Final, while Ottawa is looking to take advantage of what might be a very short Cup window by repeating as Stanley Cup Champion.
-Keith opens the scoring for Ottawa in the second period, but Chris Stewart is quick to respond with a goal.
-Tyler Johnson scores for Washington early in the third for the lead.
-Washington outshoots Ottawa 37-29 and with a Kuznetsov empty net goal manages to win 3-1.
Washington lead the series 1-0.
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GAME 2
-Ottawa takes a 1-0 lead early in the game.
-Turris and Karlsson both score in the third.
-With minutes remaining in the third period, Johnson breaks Lehner's shutout, but it is not enough, as Ottawa holds on to win 3-1.
-The series is tied 1-1.
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GAME 3
-Ovechkin scores in the first to give Washington a 1-0 lead.
-Keith ties it up in the second, but Johnson quickly responds and restores Washington's lead.
-Overchkin scores in the third to give Washington a 3-1 lead which they hold on to for the win.
-Washington leads the series 2-1.
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GAME 4
-Ottawa makes some changes meant to generate offence. Puempel is put on the first line on his off wing. Hossa is placed on the third line, and Ritchie is elevated to the second line. Nick Paul is called up from the AHL with Dzingel getting sent down.
-Puempel scores a powerplay goal early in the first to give Ottawa the lead.
-Ovechkin scores five minutes into the second, teiing the game 1-1.
-The game remains tied going into the third until Alzner scores and gives Washington the lead.
-Washington holds on and wins the game 2-1, putting Ottawa on the verge of elimination.
-Washington leads the series 3-1.
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GAME 5
-Hossa scores early in the first to give Ottawa the first lead of the game.
-Ottawa outshoots Washington 18-10 going into the third.
-Lehner put the Senators on his back and made their inability to score a non-issue as he shutout the Capitals. Ottawa wins 1-0
-Washington leads the series 3-2.
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GAME 6
-Methot suffers a concussion, and as a result Englund (79 oa LDFD) is recalled from Binghamton.
-Nick Paul scores in the first to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead.
-Ottawa outshoots Washington 28-11 going into the third.
-Johnson breaks Lehner's shutout in the third to tie the game 1-1.
-The game heads to OT, and on the 31st shot of the game, Burakovsky beats Lehner with a powerplay goal.
-The Washington Capitals beat the Senators 2-1, and eliminate them in 6 games from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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HERE AND THERE
-The Binghamton Senators capture the AHL championship. Ty Edmonds (21yo 80oa 4*) looks particularly great with a save percentage. Goalie of the future?
-The Washington Capitals go on to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the cup final 4 games to 1. It is the second year in a row where a team in the West that has made a major trade with Ottawa makes it uncharacteristically to the cup final. For Edmonton, the Hammond trade may have been one of the best in their teams history. They gave up what ended up as the 59th pick for a goalie who helped carry them to the final with a .942 playoff save percentage. Had it not been for Lehner's Vezina calibre season, and Conn Smythe level play in the post season, fans might be very upset about Ottawa trading the UFA Andrew Hammond.
-Erik Karlsson wins his fourth straight Norris trophy. Rumblings are that the league are considering renaming it the “Erik Karlsson” trophy. A poster on HFBoards starts a thread asking if 4 Norris trophies and a Stanley Cup ensures that Karlsson will get into the Hall Of Fame, most posters say no because he doesn't play d.
-Carey Price has won the last three straight Vezina trophies, but that streak is over. With a .929 save percentage over 82 games in the regular season, Robin Lehner is awarded the Vezina trophy.
-Former Ottawa Senator defender Eric Gryba who now plays for Columbus is awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
-Boris Tulupov of the Binghamton Senators wins the AHL scoring title.
-Following in Robin Lehner's footsteps, the 21 year old Ty Edmonds wins the Jack A. Butterfield trophy as AHL playoff MVP.
-Marian Hossa and Craig Anderson both call it quits and retire as Senators.
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TRADING PRIVATE RYAN PART 2?
Early in the pre-season, there were rumblings that the Senators would consider trading Ryan. Next season Ryan will be 31 and have four years remaining on a 7.25M contract. Ryan's production will soon fall, but the question is, will it be next year, or will it be five years from now? The Senators may not be able to afford to gamble on it being the latter.
The big reason Senators GM Danielpalfredsson made the controversial move to acquire Duncan Keith is that he went on record as saying that he felt it was the team's time to make the trades needed to go on a run because as a budget team their window to win would be very limited. Even teams who can spend to the cap have short windows as a result of having to sell off key talent as they get too expensive.
Ryan was out for the entire playoffs, and one could argue, had he not been injured that the Senators would have been given the goal scoring support they needed to edge past Washington in a tight series and repeat as cup champion.
We've already seen the sell off of talent begin with the team losing Zach Smith, Jared Cowen, Andrew Hammond, and now most likely Duncan Keith. After next season, MacArthur and Methot who only have one year left on their deals could both be gone as well.
Trading Ryan could be a move that puts the Senators in a rebuilding or retooling category, and strips them of their chance to compete for another cup. Both Clarke MacArthur and Marc Methot also will be on the final year of their deals next season and may want to test the market to get one last big retirement deal.
Will Ryan remain a Senator?
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UP NEXT: SEASON 5 ENTRY DRAFT AND OFF SEASON